In the second episode of our special series on first-year seminars, Lucy Sneader shares recent research on first-year seminars as high-impact educational experiences.

View a transcript of this episode.

Show Credits

Episode Host

Lucy Sneader is Graduate Apprentice for Residence Life at Elon University and enrolled in in Elon’s Master of Arts in Higher Education (MHE) program.

Production and Art Credits

Nolan Schultheis edited the episode and created the show art.

Music (“Bali”) by AudioCoffee: www.audiocoffee.net.

The series is produced by Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning.

Scholarship Referenced in this Episode

Boettler, Lynn M., Ruth A. Goldfine, Don W. Leech, and Gerald R. Siegrist. 2020. “Academic Skills, Community Engaged, Leadership, and Global Themed First-Year Seminars: Comparisons in Student Success.” Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice 24 (1): 213–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025120912696.

Bordelon, Deborah E., Colleen M. Sexton, and Ann M. Vendrely. 2019. “Designing for Students: Creating a Robust Interdisciplinary First-Year Course.” Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 19 (1). https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v19i1.26781.

Jaijairam, Prema. 2016. “First-Year Seminar (FYS)—The Advantages That This Course Offers.” Journal of Education and Learning 5 (2): 15–23. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v5n2p15.

McBride, Eileen, Amy Vashlishan Murray, and Michael Duggan. 2021. “Academic Self-Efficacy, Student Performance, and Well-Being in a First-Year Seminar.” Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition 33 (1): 99–119.

Moore, Jessie L. 2024. “High-Impact Undergraduate Experiences and How They Matter Now: April 2024 Survey of Recent U.S. College Graduates.” Center for Engaged Learning, May 28, 2024. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/surveys/april-2024-survey/

Olson, Joann S. 2017. “Helping First-Year Students Get Grit: The Impact of Intentional Assignments on the Development of Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance.” Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition 29 (1): 99–118.